Efficacy of Whole Body Vibration Training and Yoga along with Resistance Band Exercise for Urinary Incontinence: A Pilot Study

Introduction: Urinary incontinence is the involuntary loss or leakage of urine. It occurs in both sexes but is more frequent in women. The most common subtypes are stress and urge incontinence. A patient exhibiting symptoms of both stress and urge incontinence is said to have mixed incontinence. Whole Body Vibration Training (WBVT) is a novel intervention reported as an effective training method for muscle enhancement and has recently been added as a modality for strengthening the pelvic floor muscles. Pelvic floor exercises performed using a resistance band have been proven to reduce urinary incontinence and improve Quality of Life (QoL). Yoga is a mind-body practice that is increasingly popular in the West, particularly among women, and involves the practice of physical postures. Aim: To assess the efficacy of whole body vibration training and yoga combined with resistance band exercises for urinary incontinence. Materials and Methods: This pilot study was conducted at Dr. MGR Research Institute, Department of Physiotherapy, Chennai. A total of 30 married multiparous women with any subtype of urinary incontinence, aged between 20 and 70 years, were randomly assigned to two groups. The duration of the study included 45-minute sessions three days a week for six weeks, starting in January 2022 and ending in March 2022. Group A (n=15) was assigned to WBVT with resistance band exercises, while Group B (n=15) was assigned to yoga with resistance band exercises. Pre- and post-test measures were taken using Pelvic Floor Muscle strength (PFMs), the Michigan Incontinence Symptom Index (M-ISI), and the Incontinence Quality of Life (I-QoL) questionnaire scores. Data were statistically analyzed using paired t-tests and independent t-tests. Results: In this study, the statistical post-test mean values of Group B (yoga with resistance band exercises) showed significant improvement in pelvic floor muscle strength (24.08±1.70) and M-ISI (12.06±2.52). The Incontinence Quality of Life (I-QoL) scores showed significant improvement in both the groups. Conclusion: This study concluded that yoga combined with resistance band exercises was effective in improving pelvic floor muscle strength and reducing the severity of urinary incontinence symptoms. The quality of life improved in both the groups in patients with urinary incontinence.